Previews

Madden NFL 06

Scan the field, see your receivers, and drop it into their mitts. We check out the latest in footbal game innovations.

Spiffy:

New vision system is truly groundbreaking and will cut down on the number of "cheap" TDs; EA isn't resting on laurels.

Iffy:

The QB Vision system might be a bit too much for casual fans; changing primary receiver can be a pain.

When EA announced its exclusive deal with the NFL late last year, many gamers were up in arms. They feared that EA's Madden series, without competition from SEGA's annual ESPN NFL franchise, would have no reason to offer gamers anything new from year to year. Believing that competition is the true mother of invention, EA's critics predicted that we'd start seeing what essentially amounted to a glorified roster update every season, along with some graphical upgrades here and there. Many people seem to be forgetting, however, that Madden has always been at the forefront of football game innovations, from the early days (remember being able to dive for the first time?) to last year's addition of the Hit Stick. It's obvious, though, that the developers at EA Tiburon took these criticisms to heart, and they are setting out to break new ground yet again.

As evidenced by the record-shattering year enjoyed by Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning, the NFL is slowly but surely becoming a pass-first league. According to the game's producers, Madden's players have always embraced the vertical game, opting to pass a stunning 70% of the time they have the ball on offense. Surprisingly, though, the Madden's passing game hasn't undergone any major changes in nearly 10 years. Sure, we've seen the addition of audibles and hot routes, but even those are seldomly used by the casual gamer. That's all about to change, however, as Madden NFL 06 is getting ready to turn the passing game upside down.

It's from the PS2 version, but you get the picture.

The buzzwords for next year's game are Vision and Precision, and mastering both of them will be essential for taking your game to the next level. In an attempt to emulate the reasons why quarterbacks like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning are so successful, the developers have added a new QB Vision mode, in which the player must look at his receivers before passing to them. Using a new system called Precision Placement, the QB will now have control over where the ball reaches the receiver. You can lead him, toss it over his back shoulder, or even pull off the stop and fade that is perfect for tall receivers like Randy Moss.

In essence, the QB Vision mode gives the player a graphical representation of the quarterback's field vision and awareness. When the QB snaps the ball, a shadowy cone will appear, and you'll be more likely to complete a pass to a receiver in your line of vision than you would be to a player outside of it. You can use the right analog stick to scan back and forth across the field, and holding down the right trigger will allow you to move it very quickly, making it much easier to look off the secondary. If the safeties watch your eyes and try to anticipate a pass to one side, you can quickly switch to the other to find an opening.